Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, and most recently Matt Lauer. In the past few months, so many public figures have been in the spotlight due to sexual harassment allegations. It has gotten to the point where you hope that when your CNN notifications go off, the name following the words “sexual harassment” is not your favorite celebrity.

Yet, so many questions arise in the midst of these allegations. What is really going on in Hollywood? Why is it that mostly men who hold high positions are accused? And why is no one speaking up about this issue, other than the victims? It is almost scary to even think that as a communications major, I am prepping myself and building a resume that could potentially land me in that same exact environment as these victims and it makes me wonder, who will speak for me if I’m too afraid to speak for myself? Yet sadly, this is not something that happens only in Hollywood.

By definition, sexual harassment is harassment in a workplace, or other professional or social situations, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks. According to an article found on brandongaille.com the top industries with the highest sexual harassment incidents include business, trade, sales and marketing, hospitality, civil service, and education, lecturing, and teaching.

A recent study shows that one in every four women experience sexual harassment in the workplace. While a similar poll found that one in 10 men also experience sexual harassment in the workplace.

Numbers like these would lead one to believe that literally no one and nowhere is safe and with the influx of stories in recent news, sexual harassment seems to be the elephant in the closet.

However, this should not be the case. Sexual harassment should never get swept under the rug, neither by victim nor those witnessing it. If it feels wrong, most likely it is wrong. There are many outlets to report sexual harassment, whether you’ve been subjected to it or have witnessed it. No job title should ever stop you from doing what is morally right, which seems to be the case, especially with these high-profile cases regarding harassment. Many people seem to not speak up due to the fear of losing their jobs. While on one hand, it is understandable, because at the end of the day we need our jobs and careers in order to survive, how – ever, place yourself, your mother, and even your brother in the shoes of people who are harassed daily, in the workplace. You would want someone to speak up, if they couldn’t speak up for themselves.